The DWmegawad Club plays: Eternal Doom

[Lingyan203]

rdwpa said:

For next month, I nominate Bloodstain, out of curiosity for its appeal.

I vote for Bloodstain too. I'm almost finishing up that playthrough.

[AD_79]

I'll vote for Mayhem 1500. It's basically done by now, just in time for May 2016, heh.

[antares031]

MAP25 - Beginner's End
ZDoom, UV - Pistol Start, KIS(%): 92/84/33

This level has lots of similar things from MAP31. After all, both levels were designed by the same person. Which means it has an interesting concept with exquisite vanilla doom details, but you'll get your brain raped thanks to the complex level progression. The worst part is the switch puzzles in the bank, where you need to solve the jumping puzzle again if you missed the opportunity. I know that the bank should have a high security system, but it would be a lot better if the doors were stay opened if you pressed the switches. The second worst part, and yet one of the cleverest parts, is the security puzzle with morse code. I could expected that there must be a hint for that puzzle, but I couldn't expected to press the columns. Still, as I said before, this level has a cool environment, which is not a medieval fortress, but a modern office building, with exquisite details with some clever and funny moments. Not to mention that the monster placement is also well-designed, except the exit area where you'll have a trouble to get a perfect kill. Overall, it shares the same positive things and negative things of MAP31, and I do love this level, as much as I do hate it. It's one of the good examples that shows the concept of Eternal Doom.

[plums]

I'll vote for Japanese Community Project, I'm sure they wouldn't mind extra feedback and it would be better to do it sooner than later.

I'd also like to suggest Perdition's Gate for some time in the near future, now that the moratorium on linking to it seems to be lifted. It's a great classic wad that more people should experience and it would be nice to discuss it.

dobu gabu maru said:

there’s text eeeeeevvveerrryyyywhere

I wonder if Flynn ever made any Quake maps? I'd bet he'd write a novel's worth within the message text, haha.

[Ribbiks]

25: fda. DNF, Banking is Hell. I died at the "security" thing and wasn't playing with saves, might revisit this later. Cute map, adorable furniture, whimsical all around. Claustrophobic combat was very welcome amidst the otherwise overly spacious E3. The pillar puzzle thing was neat, and I'm guessing the caco "haunting" refers to ghost mobs from the AV? I think that's the first time I've seen that bug directly tied into the map design.

[Spectre01]

Gonna cast my vote for Bloodstain, just like last time. Hellbound would be fun too sometime.

[NuMetalManiak]

MAP25 Beginner's End

This is where I stopped playing on my first playthrough of mine. How I managed to beat around MAP31 and MAP20 (to be fair I took the easy exit there) and continue up to this point is quite remarkable, for me. But, fuck, Jim Flynn is a perplexing author. I guess he named the level well.

Right from the outset is a hallway I revisit over and over. The first room I head into triggers it into some stairs. Not sure if the directory shown here helps me any way though. the next few halls aren't much to note though, just some linedef triggering (although I did try to break my back over the SSG) and opening things. The worst part are the northern rooms, where you'll likely wander through things, only to realize, "Hey! I need to go back!"

"Aiming errors may result in loss of security privileges" yeah fuck that puzzle. The correct order is in threes and I screwed up the first time and couldn't finish the map, so that's where I quit. Turns out you only need to shoot three switches. Aside from that, there's the weird pillars you can use for supplies, although you might not get what you want. Pretty hard to get 100% items considering this room. Didn't encounter any arch-viles on my setting in the crusher room, so there was no worry with the switch with the next prompt.

Inquiring at the bank next, the show stops soon, and the switch hunting is the nasty part as usual. "Diablo Security" room is pretty novel, first, use the bookshelf and "warp" up, hit switch, stand on table, find a code for later, shoot computer (even though it says not to), and save the voodoo doll in his cage before leaving, since it tells you not to leave beforehand. Some frolicking around the next few areas and where would I end up next? guess I'll use the code before to get the yellow key, but actually grabbing the key is a surprisingly different puzzle.

The cybernetics lab is your typical Gotcha! scenario, if you manipulate it well. the spiderdemon has the advantage due to how close-ranged it is. It's an easy finish there, but the next stairway leads to what can really turn you around. You have to do tons of backtracking, through just about every goddamn place in the map, to reach the area with the loads of stairwells. A fun concept, reset the stairs with the nearby switch, then use the other switches to lower or raise them. The lift stairs are quite annoying though. At least with two switch presses, it's pretty much all over. Now killing the enemies present at the exit area is tougher than it seems. You can barely shoot them, without at least inching as close as you can to the exit line (the cacos are the exception), and I want to get rid of all of them, so I needed some careful footing. All in all, incredibly confusing map, and the music got on my nerves just like Flynn's other map.

figures you guys wanted Bloodstain now, when I'll be having a vacation sometime next month. What about something for Ultimate Doom? I go for Endless Torture.

[TheOrganGrinder]

I was playing through and writing up my thoughts on MAP25 but honestly it was turning into the third map in a row that had me declaring "maybe I'm not coming at this in the right mood, but it's just doing nothing for me," which is usually a sign that I should take a break and come back to it later. I'm going to let myself fall behind a bit, catch up hopefully right at the end of the month or at the start of the next. :)

As for next month, I'm going to say Let's Play MAYhem 1500.

[punnyone]

Map 24 - Rainbow Bridge - 93% Kills, 100% Secrets.

An interesting observation I noted during this playthrough: In the previous map, the final time gate destination is the year 2500 AD. Yet Rainbow Bridge is a level chock full of primarily medieval architecture with a healthy dose of tech mixed in. I've developed a theory that all the messing around in the different realms has altered the future and turned it into a medieval/tech-hybrid world.

Fan theories aside, Rainbow Bridge is classic Couleur: Massive spaces, occasional arena-style areas, and lots of crossfire from enemies while you make your way through the map. This map actually feels larger in size than The Seeker, although Rainbow Bridge takes me quicker to complete.

Just like The Seeker, Rainbow Bridge is also roughly divided into two areas. The first is a massive conglomerate of walkways, medieval cityscapes, and a huge variety of textures. The blending of medieval and tech textures may not work in a logical sense, but it does give the level a very colorful feel. The lighting is phenomenal, especially in the western section, which ends up catching on fire later on. Having cacodemons pop out of said fire is one of the coolest looking moments in the levelset.

Another prominent feature of this first half of the map is the large multi-tiered building to the right. Due to the excessive amount of lifts and platforms, it actually reminds me of Industrial Zone from Doom II. I should also note that there are quite a few buildings in this map which you cannot access and which seem to serve only as sniping locations for monsters. These extra buildings add a layer of depth to the map, although it does make it excruciatingly hard to achieve 100% Kills, so I opted not to.

The second half of this map features the "Couleur Arena Finale(tm)". In this case, it's a castle-like fortress partially surrounded by a moat, and featuring a central stronghold which literally holds the key to leaving the map. This is where the combat gets quite tricky, especially as new enemies get teleported in, and as new areas open up. These cyberdemon encounters are getting trickier and trickier.

Overall, Rainbow Bridge offers a formidable challenge, set against a massive and impressive looking map. I'm very curious to see how well the next two levels hold up for both myself as well as the rest of the DWMC...

[T-Rex]

So glad to be back again, everyone. Time for me to tackle two maps.

Map23: Time Gate II (Dia Westerteicher)
104% kills, 100% items, 100% secrets
Time: 19:01

Dia's final offering is a gimmick map which is a sequel to Sverre's Time Gate. The only difference about this map however is that you will be travelling to different time periods before returning to the Dark Ages. The starting area serves as a hub and to the north is a portal which will take you to the timeline you've set on the computer panels situated on the ledges of the starting area. Your first port of call will be the Stone Age, which had some rather anachronistic landmarks (then again, we've seen some of that in several of Eternal Doom's maps). There's a nice Dead Simple arena with a pair of mancubi, barons, and cacodemons. Then you have the high-tech switch inside a room with glass windows. Once you've collected the yellow key, you can return to the main hub and open the yellow bars to the ledge where you'll set the time to the distant future, in which what was one of the bad endings of the original Time Gate is now a mandatory section here. It's basically a dystopian future with ruined buildings and hellspawn everywhere. You need to make your way through the first two buildings you can enter before you can go across the gap to the next two buildings. Eliminate the Spider Mastermind, then collect the red key and you can hit the last computer panel, but before you can enter the portal, be sure to teleport to the very first ledge you were on as jumping off which reveal a secret, including gaining access to the teleporters which will transport you back to the timelines you visited (even the lava passage in the Stone Age has been lowered so you can reach the soul sphere). Revisiting both will open up a secret portal which will take you to the rather goofy Caco Heaven, a large void in the sky filled with ammo and cacodemons. Check the southwest side as there's some candles forming an arrow. Follow it, and you'll teleport on the megasphere at the portal, where you can finally exit. Pretty neat map and quite an interesting spin on Soundblock's creation. The music for this track is also pretty neat and very melancholic.

Map24: Rainbow Bridge (Chris Couleur)
100% kills, 100% items, 100% secrets
Time: 27:25

This is yet again another massive castle map by Chris Couleur, and considerably, I find this one to be much longer than The Seeker, due to the fact that there's so many enemies, and they're all spread out and pop everywhere. Not to mention that a lot of them are stationed in places you cannot enter, so it can take awhile to gun them all down, especially since they all like to roam around, thereby making it easy to miss your rockets. This is further compounded by the fact that they tend to never come into your line of sight. Even so, this is a really gorgeous map. Despite being squarish, it is really well done, and much like the finale of The Seeker, it's got the grand architecture akin to Hell Revealed. Also, like Guardstation, there's the part where you travel to the west area and the castle wall promptly opens up before your eyes to reveal more. Although the map is medieval, you'll notice some futuristic textures present in some parts. One of the coolest features of this map is that as you progress, particularly after you collect the blue key, you'll notice that part of the castle is on fire, giving the effect that it's slowly burning away. You see that again in the finale, only this time, you actually get to witness it. There's a lot of going up and down in the map, similar to Warheros. Level progression is linear for the most part, though there's a bit of backtracking which is thankfully made up by having monsters appear wherever you go. The central building in the first half can be a bit confusing, and you especially have to solve a few puzzles here, but nothing that can stump you. The latter half of the map contains such really intense fights, and it's quite similar to The Seeker. As you open up parts of this section through wandering around, hordes of monsters home in to your location. Killing each horde systematically may be the safest approach, but it can be time-consuming, since a lot of them appear in those inaccessible cubbies. If you're bold and daring, you can run around and hit every switch you see so that everyone wakes up. Quite an adrenaline-pumping finish, especially when dealing with the cyberdemons on the ramparts that wrap around the section. Enjoyable map, but pretty lengthy, even more than The Seeker and Sverre's Darkdome, both of which took me around 25 minutes, while this one took me 27. It's also quite hard with the monster placement here. The progression can be a bit disorienting, though I don't think you could get lost that easily. I also enjoyed the music track here, really adds more to the atmosphere of the map, and it seems to have been an influence for Celebration of Evil's track. I find myself becoming more into Couleur's style as he's got that edge for making realistic and beautiful medieval/gothic castles. Still have no idea what the name of the map is supposed to mean, though.

With that, I'm gonna leave it here, until next time when I tackle Jim Flynn's one-two punch maps. This will be one of the most mind-boggling maps yet. Take care and have fun, everyone.

[gaspe]

MAP25 - Beginner's End

Time for the last two Jim Flynn's maps now. The theme sticks mostly with MAP31's representation of realistic places, though there will be some more abstract segments here. In the shootable switches puzzle the ones you to shoot are the 2nd, the 5th and the 8th; for whatever reason. If you do that correctly you can skip to lower the steps with the elevators puzzle nearby, though you will miss some goodies and the RL. The bank is quite cool, with the very memorable room protected by the Diablo Security. Combats take place in very cramped places, and the map manages to be quite harsh many times. It's awkward to navigate into the offices with those redundant switches to open the doors. Also it's quite cool the sequence of gain the access to the safe with the YK. It was nice to revisit this map, though it's always a bit confusing.

[Naan]

I feel MAP24 is a bit of a letdown after other Chris Couleur previous maps which improved in quality and epicness up to MAP22. Starting off the ground around high blocky towers, high tech texturing in some monster shafts around which seems to be this map signature, even more cryptic progression than MAP11. It's not a bad map per se but it I was kinda expecting more.

I believe MAP25 is the "easiest" of Jim's map in Eternal Doom, way more than MAP31. I mean easier in terms of puzzles that are more guided and divided into small subsets, but also easier in terms of actual fights. I had a lot more troubles making my way into the Monster Mansion than in the bank/cybernetics/pillar expo/other stuff building. The "anachronism" warning before getting to the next level was amusing.


Oh, and I guess I'll vote for Hordes of Chaos X (the closest thing out there to be called "Heretic slaughterfest" megawad) for next month even though I don't remotely think it'll get played assuming we're in the "Doom" Megawad Club, but as always I'll play anything the club is playing and as for how many months people are calling out for Bloodstain it would be a very good mapset to discover for the first time!

[dobu gabu maru]

MAYhem 1500 and Bloodstained are at 3 votes each, JCP at 2 so far.

MAP26: This was going to be my favorite Flynn map until that accursed hunt for the blue key path from the “rocket armor” room happened. It was right around that time that I was wishing for the map to be over, and then it just shat all over my expectations with that giant, uneven, confusing outdoor area. Mix all that with a bunch of vexing monster placement (so many barons and chaingunners) and the fact that this is hot off the heels of yet another Flynn map, and I am done with this style of gameplay. I don’t want to play another map by Jim Flynn for a very long time.

[gaspe]

MAP26 - No Parking

I guess that pistol starting this map on the first playthrough will be quite painful. In the armory is easy to fuck up the things if you don't know what you are doing, but with few tries you can eventually find the solution to clean the things in the easy way. Overall this map is more confusing than the previous one. Quite remarkable is the experimental rocket armor, and the park with some strict rules which don't seem to be very obverved. Also that fucking switch next to the exit which I forgot everytime that it's there. There's some really interesting stuff in this map.

[Magnusblitz]

I HAVE RETURNED

And I cast my vote for Bloodstain!

[punnyone]

Map 25 - Beginner's End - 96% Kills, 0% Secrets.

Jim Flynn's second map in the set, (Originally his first before the expansion), carries on much of the same love 'em or hate 'em traditions as Monster Mansion. I've always felt that all three of the Flynn maps feel a bit out of place both design and gameplay-wise and even music-wise. I also feel that Beginner's End is the weakest of these three maps. It is often cramped, the puzzles can occasionally be headache inducing, and there's even one puzzle that you will either need to noclip or restart the map if you screw it up. Even the secrets are hidden in almost cryptic locations, to the point where I completely missed them all.

But enough of the bad. There's actually quite a lot that I enjoy about this map. Beginner's End takes place mostly in a six story midrise tower. You start off on the bottom level where a handy text directory foreshadows what to expect on each floor. Unfortunattly, these text walls throughout this and the next map can be occasionally buggy in GZDoom.

Each floor has something unique to offer. The second floor "Fun House" is mostly an abstract office/professional suite with tight halls and a minor amount of seemingly random switch hitting. The third floor "Pillar Expo" and its button puzzle can be a pain if you miss the Samuel Morse clue from the ground level directory.

It's the "1st Eternal Bank Of UAC" on the fourth floor that is hands down the best area of the map. Jim created an extremely detailed bank, complete with everything from vaults, to offices, to the tricky yet awesome "Diablo Security" Room. The Cybernetics suite on the fifth floor contains yet another cyberdemon/mastermind fight, but in a much smaller science lab enviornment and with an archville thrown in for good measure.

After reaching the top, we are told via riddle to make our way back to the start of the map. Fortunately, new hallways and shortcuts have opened up to make this easy, (Although I tend to forget about that newly opened teleporter in the fun house). The outdoor tower area however can be a bit of a pain to navigate. Falling down repeatedly and waiting for slow lifts is not fun. The "Minor Temporal Discontinuity" sign at the end always makes me chuckle.

Overall, while Beginner's End does have its flaws, and while it can be frustrating, I still find that I enjoy playing it. Sometimes we need something a bit different in the set, and these pair of Flynn maps certainly do the trick.

[Pirx]

MAP24 - “Rainbow Bridge” by Christopher Couleur

chris couleur indeed has a knack for medieval castles. as you progress through the castle, you see hell's fire around it. to quote T-rex, not only the massive, squarish architecture, less organic shaped than in m19, reminded me of hell revealed, but also the amount of ordnance and supplies found. however without hr's monster hordes, but rather a steady trickle of cacos who follow you everywhere. this way one gets so loaded with rockets and plasma that everything can be steamrolled, includind 2 cybs on the battlements, and the main difficulty is finding the way through this castle.



MAP25 - “Beginner's End” by Jim Flynn

suddenly we return from the middle ages to a modern office building or whatever that represents, quite a contrast as nothing in m24 hints at this. i managed to dance around with a shotty and a chainsaw for several minutes until i found the ssg. then the rockets, those are important here but require knowledge where to use them and not blow yourself up, this map is a bit harsh on that with all those cramped spaces. panels show your location, there are 6 floors. some switch puzzles, good that impatient people can look up stuff online today ;)

[antares031]

MAP26 - No Parking
ZDoom, UV - Pistol Start, KIS(%): 98/86/66

Here comes another level, created by Jim Flynn. And you know what that means, right? Once again, the puzzle of this level successfully crushed my brain, just like the previous level did. Please, if you're creating switches, make sure to place them at least visible. Seriously, I don't want to waste my time, wandering around the rooms with nothing but corpses, because of those switches hidden behind the darkness or the camouflage. Then again, I do admire the concept of Eternville, which has a layout with explorable areas. Plus, some parts of level are intriguing, like the instant "Fuck you and just die" trap with chaingunners. And of course, the proving grounds with cyberdemon trio and tons of barons of hell was just hilarious. So it's the same conclusion like the other levels done by Jim Flynn. It's interesting, but it could be better.

Oh yes, my vote for the next month goes to the Japanese Community Project.

[Budoka]

I know I haven't been playing Eternal Doom, but just in case this vote still counts, add another one for Japanese Community Project. I'm quite curious to compare it to the French and Russian shenanigans which most of us are now familiar with. I need to buy a new mouse though...

[scifista42]

+1 Japanese CP for next month.

[NuMetalManiak]

MAP26 No Parking

Where's the fire lane? Back to back Flynn levels? oh crap. Flynn made a city map. Now, to get through this, it's gonna be quite a puzzler, and the arachnotron windows are quite key. "Hands off the glass please" no screw you bitch I need to hit that switch and press it to continue. The armory opens upon shooting it, and the sign says I'm in Eternville, population: too many. Well, 224 or so enemies is not something I would consider too many, but this was 1997, so...

OH FUCK. I entered the armory only to find a wall of imps + chaingunners behind me. Flynn's one devious bastard upon the placement of these two bastards, and these two back-to-back levels show that. Good lord, and in the so called "quiet zone", making noise triggers an imp in a dummy sector that can walk over any linedef inside, allowing me to pass through. The teleporter allows me to telefrag the archie in the wall zone, which I cleaned out well before proceeding. One of the arachnotron compartments has breakable glass on one side, plus a voodoo doll and a crusher. The invulnerability helps out almost solely to bust both me and the voodoo doll out of the crusher while I go get the nearby switch. I also get the red key at this point.

Ah, the red door has some interesting platforming sections with crates and shootables, and then the "Visible Control Sector". This is pretty cool, head outside each of the three stairs and land on the vent to change the road to variable liquids, and lower the vent. Then run across all three vents going northward to reach the arachnotron compartment with the switch. Novel as fuck.

The southeastern red door in the main city has a potential speedrun shortcut if you straferun, but I ignore it and take the yellow door instead. this library section has bookshelves moving, switches to hunt, and doors that troll you if you're too slow. I'll eventually find another windowed compartment with some super sleuthing. The "Top Secret Experimental Rocket Armor" is a certain highlight, having to use the center pad to defend against baron and cyberdemon alike. It's better to trigger the chaingunner behind you, then enter the 30-second room to crush the vast majority of barons, plus the cybers. The shenanigans I put up with, going through large diagonal crusher hallways, and figuring out where the goddamn blue key ends up being.

And then it's a trip to the Eternite Planetary Park, assuming I hit each windowed compartment switch. This area is fucking dangerous with the enemies around. and figuring out where I go involves shooting some weak walls, but it's not as tight as it is. Hey, another Flynn level beat, the music has a good rock feel but IMO all the Flynn maps were accompanied by music that got on my nerves. Makin' a fool outta everything.

Hmm, I've not played J Community Project yet, so that.

[Demon of the Well]

I'll cast a vote for the Japanese Community Project, as well. Bloodstain would be my second choice.

[T-Rex]

Since the next two maps are by Jim Flynn, I might attempt them in one post, so here I come.

Map25: Beginner's End (Jim Flynn)
95% kills, 69% items, 100% secrets
Time: 17:27

This is definitely one of the most complex and confusing maps in Eternal Doom. It seems that of all the authors involved, Jim Flynn is the odd one out as his maps are in a modern setting instead of the medieval theme most of the other mappers in the team were following. The map takes place inside of a strange demon-infested bank and you must tackle the floors in sequence before finally making your way up to the top. The map is full of rather obtuse puzzles which are on par with Bob Evans. The fun house is not so problematic as it's mostly crossing linedef triggers and hitting switches, but the first halt in your progress is the pillar puzzle. To get past the set of obstacles blocking your path, you need to make the correct button combinations by shooting them. However, you won't know the right button combinations unless you do some rather devious pillar humping to fully open one, which when you go in, you'll see the right combination once it closes. Once you shoot the right buttons, another button opens, and you shoot it to lower all the obstacles. This one can be infuriating if you're new to this map, because if you mess up the sequence, you'll have to redo the map all over again. The most memorable part of the map is the 1st Eternal Bank in the fourth floor, which can be one of the most confusing parts in the map. You have to hit switches to open doors or make certain platforms accessible, and you also have the infamous Diablo Security room where if you try to get out, you'll get teleported and trapped in a cage while you burn alive. You need to solve a very devious puzzle to disable the security, and try to uncover a very vital clue to obtaining the yellow key. The fifth floor has a pretty ingenious fight where you can instigate the spider mastermind and cyberdemon to infight with each other. Finally, when you get to the top, you need to find the way back down to the starting area, where you'll have the finishing area in the basement (hence the name Beginner's End). You got one more puzzle involving the flight of stairs before you can exit. A really clever and fun map, but it can be troublesome for first-time players and it's extremely puzzle-heavy. Then again, what can you expect from Jim Flynn? There's lots of text messages in the map, some of which indicate the floors, some which give out hints to a puzzle, and some which are warnings if you want to play it safe. Also, take note that getting 100% items is impossible due to the fact that there's multiple automap power-ups.

Map26: No Parking (Jim Flynn)
100% kills, 100% items, 100% secrets
Time: 28:32

Oh, boy, the complexity and confusion continues on with this map. It's basically a follow-up to Beginner's End, only it's much more intricate and diabolical with the puzzles. Of course, this is expected since in the second release of Eternal Doom, this was the final map, not counting the Credits level. Just like with Monster Mansion and Beginner's End, Jim Flynn continues on making a present-style map set in an urban environment. It's also got some rather lethal traps, so you better be careful and watch your step. In one of the buildings, there's a rather funny moment where you set off some barrels, which not only take out some imps, but also a hanging Commander Keen, which will allow you access into the building once he's killed. The Armory room has a rather nasty trick, but once you figure out the way to get rid of all the trapped arch-viles, it shouldn't be too much of a problem, though you'll have to retrace your steps in order to get the red key. You'll also need to free the voodoo doll inside one of the arachnotron security booths by using the invulnerability and blasting it through a breakable glass wall, but don't leave him standing in the road, cause you'll take damage if it's standing on the road when it changes to slime, blood, and then lava when grabbing the items sequentially in the room where you blew up the Commander Keen, particularly after obtaining the yellow key. Inside the yellow key building, there's more lunacy involving the switches and areas that open up instantaneously, but it all boils down to the Experimental Rocket Armor where you need to open up two elongated hallways holding barons in order to start an infight between them and the three cyberdemons while using the cage for protection. Once the middle cyberdemon is down, you can try to fire at the switch in order to enter an opened booth where you hit the switch that activates the crushers to take out the remaining cyberdemons, if they're still alive, of course. You then have to take one of the baron hallways (preferably the left one and while avoiding the crushing ceiling) to reach the blue key, and you need to hunt down some switches that will raise some stairs to the final area, the Eternite Planetary Park, which is a valley that is just as hectic as Eternville. Still, the scenery looks pretty amazing. No Parking is very tough both in monster opposition (lots of chaingunners, revenants, and barons) and puzzles, so be prepared because you will take awhile trying to figure out this map. Nevertheless, I actually had fun with this map, I love the cleverness of the puzzles and the scenarios you have to tackle, and the music is so catchy and rocking that it makes the map pretty exciting. Jim Flynn will always be one of my favourite mappers, and I can say this is quite a masterpiece, appropriate since it's his last offering to the mapset. Up to this point, this is the most cryptic and obtuse map in the set, but the worse is yet to come...

I'm gonna take a day off now, since doing both of Jim Flynn's maps took a lot out of me. I still had a ball with them, though. Very adventurous, plenty of fun bits here and there, lots of goofy moments, and your mindwork will be rewarded, plus I really dig Jim Flynn's bizarre architecture. Until then, see you in the next couple of maps. By the way, if I have it, I would cast my vote on the Japanese Community Project as the next megawad to try, though I would also want to vote for Alien Vendetta.

[Spectre01]

I'm feeling an anti-Bloodstain Japanese conspiracy unfolding here...

[dobu gabu maru]

^ Many of us have been pining to play JCP since it was announced. I'd totally vote for Bloodstained next month though—the most important thing you guys need to remember is to keep vying for a specific wad each month, as it slowly sets in the general consensus that we should play it. That's how Demon got Vile Flesh picked, how I got Hell Revealed picked, and how plums (unfortunately) got Psyren's stuff picked while he was away.

With that said though, if there are clear front-runners please add a choice between those as it makes my job a lot easier.

MAP27: Neat level. It follows Couleur’s design philosophy of “all objectives are ahead of you” so there’s no instance where you should be aimlessly wandering around. I probably would’ve been grumpy having to go through so many encounters without the SSG, but it was a fine map on continuous to play. There’s some tricky parts where you have to deduce what to do (like getting the invul for the BK), but for the most part the obfuscation is minimal… only thing I wish is that it was easier to return to certain areas, instead of having to run through most of the map again (like getting to the exit). Definitely a breath of fresh air after the Flynn maps.

[plums]

dobu gabu maru said:

how plums (unfortunately) got Psyren's stuff picked while he was away.

Yeah I picked a bad time to get burnt out and quit DW. Especially since most of you guys disliked those wads and I wasn't around to argue about how you were wrong, haha ;)

But yes JCP was announced at the start of the month I think, so a lot of people said "let's do this in the DWMC next month" at the time. And I do think it would be good to do it now since they're still looking for feedback/bugreports/etc.

[Magnusblitz]

Alright gotta try and catch up now.

MAP20: Silures
80% kills, 5/11 secrets

Up until this point I hadn't seen what the big hubbub about Eternal Doom's progression being dumbfounding and byzantine, but this map certainly fits the bill. Tons of tricky little switches, or out-of-the-ordinary stuff like using things as switches. Two spots gave me trouble... the first was the armor switch. The armor was glowing, no problem there, but figuring out how to open the little switch inside took forever and basically led to me wall-humping my way to it. Apparently the light you're supposed to hit is blinking, but it's blinking is so incredibly faint I could barely see it even after I read it on the wiki and looked for it. The second spot that gave me trouble was figuring out to hit the dead tree in the plasma gun area, just didn't look like an obvious doodad to interact with like the glowing armor suit or the satyr statue.

Anyways, even with that, I ended up just taking the blue key exit and missing quite a bit (such as the yellow key I spied earlier). Maybe some day I'll come back and play through with a walkthrough, since there's a lot I like about this map. The platforming early on is fun, and despite my troubles, for the most part everything does have some sort of hint. The one thing I disliked was the amount of bullshit chaingunners (often placed on high ledges in total darkness)... they almost always come with berserk packs in front of them, to the point where those black boxes felt like warnings instead of prizes.

Interesting map, I can certainly see how it wouldn't be to everyone's enjoyment, but looking back and knowing Eternal Doom's unique brand it's easier to appreciate.

[punnyone]

Map 26 - No Parking - 97% Kills, 66% Secrets.

You thought Beginner's End was complex? Well you ain't seen n-n-nuthin' yet. I wrote a good essay worth of notes while replaying this behemoth. There is so much going on, and so many unique elements contained within, so let's dive in...

Picking up where Beginner's End left off, No Parking takes us through Eternville: A strange abstract town where the only buildings nearby appear to be warehouses, weapons testing facilities, and demon-filled sheds. There are streets that transform into toxic pools, four glass security booths that you must find a way into, and more cacodemons than you can shake a stick at.

The combat is the toughest so far, which is fitting as this was originally the final regular map in Eternal Doom II. The armory room left me dead countless times, until I realized that yes, there is a way to get rid of those archvilles before they all teleport in.

Getting the red and yellow keys requires just the right amount of puzzle solving. It's tricky, but you will certainly say "A'ha", when you figure them out. However, once you get through the yellow key door, progression can become quite cryptic. This building starts off as a weird library-type complex, opens up into some sort of cultist hideout, complete with a huge fire pit, and finally drops us off in the top secret proving grounds. This battle is made mildly more survivable by the cool experimental rocket armor. Although that crushing hallway to get to the much sought after blue key can be a pain.

But there's more! The final third of the level takes place in Eternite Planetary Park. This section can be quite disorienting and occasionally frustrating to navigate, especially when you are under fire from various heights. I do like the way the place looks though and there are some neat details like the sign before you enter, and the secret firepit. You can actually reach the exit rather early if you know where to go, but you will miss out on some secrets.

One other aspect I feel deserves mention is the music. It's a rather short surf-rock track, which sounds cool the first few times you hear it. However, since the track is so short, and the map is so long, it can get REALLY stale after a while. In fact, that has always been my one gripe with Eternal Doom in general: Awesome music, but each song is too short.

Overall, No Parking is the culmination of everything Jim Flynn: Puzzle solving, humor, crazy combat, and the unexpected. It is the latter that especially makes me enjoy this level every time I play it.

[Pirx]

another one for the japanese community project.

why? i had missed the thread, it took me by surprise, and i'm curious. also, seems to be a lot of smaller maps, as opposed to eternal doom's more convoluted world.

[antares031]

MAP27 - Paldorian
ZDoom, UV - Pistol Start, KIS(%): 100/93/100

It's a little bit hard to describe my feelings about this level, but at least I can say that this level is not for my taste. To begin with, I'm not a fan of narrow mazes, except they have cool gimmicks or plenty of supplies. And unfortunately, the narrow maze with lots of stairs couldn't get my attention. At least this level has a mercy to throw lots of powerups around, such as invulnerability and soulsphere, but it took me some minutes to figure out how to get four powerups in front of blue skull key while I only have 19% of health(which means I cannot proceed the level anymore until I find the way to grab powerups.). Other parts of this level were just fine, except some puzzles such as yellow skull key puzzle.